Sculpture And Sound Combine To Create Art

Local luthier Jesse O’Neal is currently producing high-end electric guitars for Ergo Instruments. In addition to being finely crafted, these shredding machines are incredible works of art. No two are alike, and each makes a distinctive statement of purpose and aesthetic.

The instruments are a direct result of an adolescence spent doodling guitar shapes instead of doing schoolwork. Having a carpenter for a father, Jesse had access to power tools, and was not afraid to use them. He started by “modding” —modifying cheap old guitars into high quality instruments. Eventually he began to buy his own lumber and put it all together himself.

“In many ways, it’s as simple as get a piece of wood, and take off everything that doesn’t look like a guitar,” he says, describing his Zen-like approach to craftsmanship. “Like anything else, the order that you do things makes it more difficult or easier, and if you do it enough, you learn little tricks here and there. For me, it starts with seeing it in my head first—just visualizing it while staring at that spot where the grass meets the pavement out in the front yard, the way dads do.”

For the last ten years, Jesse has used mostly Walnut, Maple, and Cherry to make his instruments. “A lot of the best wood that I have found comes from Indiana and Ohio, from a few small families,” he tells us. “They own several acres, and they have learned to farm lumber rather than just clear cut things—I try to keep some sense of balance when using natural materials. It does cost a little bit more, but it keeps it simple for me. I try not to use exotic woods, although occasionally I will run across a nice piece.”

He works in his small basement shop, and his tooling is pretty minimal. He has two table saws, two band saws, a drill press, and a large belt sander. Most of what he does to shape the instruments involves the belt sander, which he uses to smooth the wooden forms after doing the straightening cuts and leveling.

Speaking of the sander, he notes, “It’s almost like my tai chi at this point, because I spend so much time standing in front of the thing. It’s not a particularly dangerous tool, but it takes patience and discipline to stand in front of it—to see the shape in your head that you want, and when you’ve gotten it as close as you can with the other tools, bringing it into the shape.”

What Jesse aims for in making guitars is keeping the wood straight and level. He buys the lumber in half inch thick lengths, various widths, and from there he uses the table saw and band saw to create the basic shapes. He has a few jigs set up to make the fret slots, but not much more.

He uses a simple formula to give the instrument proper intonation. “It’s a basic application of mathematics, certainly not much more complicated than sixth grade math,” he explains. “A guitar is a simple machine overall. In many ways it’s a wooden ship, in terms of a musical instrument, but within that there is a lot of flexibility. You can do all sort of things within the framework, and that’s exciting to me.”

He finds inspiration for his guitars’ shapes in lines that he sees in the world. “I’m not particularly a car guy, but I’ve always loved looking at vintage Corvettes. They have nice curves to them when they go by—it’s a neat thing to see. I spend a lot of time in the woods whenever I can. I like looking at the way certain trees look, or the way a creek will bend around a corner, I just enjoy the lines.”

For the hardware, Jesse uses Hipshot tuners and bridges, and DiMarzio pickups. He prefers passive systems, both as a player and as a technician. “The more you overthink the plumbing, the easier it is to bung up the drain,” he says, quoting Scotty from Star Trek. He believes that the goal of technology should be to make things simpler, although he does enjoy adding a few bells and whistles to his instruments, like LED fretboards and extra strings.

You can meet Jesse and see his works in progress at Picker’s Exchange in East Ridge, where he works as a part-time guitar tech. To see more of his instruments, find him on Facebook by his name, or at Ergo Instruments.